Whistling Train Farm

“Daisy Gold” Potatoes, “Sweet Dumplilng” Squash, Carrots, Beets, Fava Bean Greens, Collard Greens, Purple Mustard,  Arugula or Sorrel or Baby Bok Choy, Garlic

THIS WEEK’S SUBSCRIBER MENU:

• “Daisy Gold” Potatoes
• “Sweet Dumpling” Squash
• Garlic
• Beets
• Carrots
• Collard Greens
• Arugula or Sorrel or Baby Bok Choy
• Fava Bean Greens (use like Pea Shoots: sauté or make pesto)
• Purple Mustard
• Garlic

Click on the links above for information and recipes about these crops.

COMING SOON: Spinach, Brussels Sprouts, Baby Bok Choy

The days are noticeably shorter now, and fall has arrived. We finally bid the tomatoes and peppers farewell, and the cucumbers, with the first frost two weeks ago. This week we are preparing for an early Arctic Blast, as the jet stream comes down south for a visit.

Temperatures in the low- to mid-20’s were forecast for this week, so we hustled to put frost blankets and row covers on the more delicate crops, like radicchio, escarole, broccoli, and cauliflower. These fabrics don’t seem like much, but they can raise the temperature 2-4 degrees, which can be enough to keep frosty air from damaging or even ruining the crop. It means moving huge pieces of flimsy material and lots of sandbags, but if it works, it’s totally worth it.

We spent Monday afternoon covering the more delicate crops (the chicories and broccoli) in the hope that just a degree or two of protection would save them should the temperature drop into the mid-twenties, as forecast. Fingers crossed for the tiny crowns of broccoli and cauliflower that are just the size of a quarter right now, but were supposed to be ready to harvest by mid-October.

The Garlic for 2020 has arrived! 300 pounds to get in the ground pronto.

It’s not just our crops that are a month behind. Other farms are reporting the same problem, and we’re all blaming the darker, colder days of September. The last few years we’ve been blessed with August-like weather into October, but that hasn’t been the case this year. So many things that should have been ready for you to eat, simply are not.

Frost looks pretty on red or green leaves, but that frost can burst cell walls and ruin leaves, several layers down. It also turns delicate broccoli buds into black mush. Nobody wants to eat that.

So, while we have an abundance of carrots and beets, some of the bonus brassicas and greens are in short supply. In fact, there’s a wad of bad news coming, which you will receive in an email shortly. Basically, the CSA will be running about 5 weeks short of the promised 40 weeks. I’ll be offering a credit toward next year’s CSA, but that’s the best I can do, as I’ll be also cutting my farmers market season short in order to continue the CSA through Christmas.

But, anyway, the good news is that I finally got the garlic ordered and it has arrived, and we’ll start planting that for 2020 later this week. So that’s exciting.

THIS WEEK’S SUBSCRIBER MENU:

• “Sangre” Potatoes
• Garlic
• Beets
• Carrots
• Sweet Escamillo Peppers
• sweet Lunchbox Peppers
• Brussels Sprouts Tops
• Komatsuna (use like baby bok choy) or Purple Salad Mustard
• Parsley or Thyme
• Tomatoes or Onions

Click on the links above for information and recipes about these crops.

COMING SOON: Baby Daikon, Winter Squashes, Collard Greens

I’ll add to this post later today….

THIS WEEK’S SUBSCRIBER MENU:

• New Potatoes
• Garlic
• Snap Beans or Romano Beans
• Carrots
• Butter Lettuce
• Red Romaine Lettuce
• Cucumbers
• Tomatoes

• U-PICK FLOWERS

Click on the links above for information and recipes about these crops.

COMING SOON: Shelling Beans, Broccoli, Peppers, Eggplant

In the midst of all the harvesting that needs to be done, northwest farmers are also in the midst of the final push to get anything and everything planted.

U-Pick flowers are ready and waiting for you to take them home!!

Perhaps you’ve noticed that the days are getting shorter? The plants have noticed too, and their internal clocks are ticking. We are pushing hard to get all of the planting done that will carry all of us through the end of the year and into spring. There actually is a deadline; a point where plants will not grow and mature because there isn’t enough light for them to grow. While they may sit patiently and wait to be harvested in the dark, rainy days to come, they will not actually do any more growing until February.

So this week we are planting broccoli, cauliflower, and kale. Next week we plant turnips, spinach, and radishes, and in the final week of August, I’ll plant arugula, baby bok choi, and other tasty greens.

Then we water and cultivate EVERYTHING until the rainy season gets here. Which reminds me: our biggest water bill is about to arrive, at the same time that payroll is its highest and garlic seed needs to be purchased. That means that it’s time for my annual appeal and amazing CSA payment offer!

I would be most appreciative to any families who are able to prepay for their 2020 CSA Share by September 1, and those who are able to prepay can subtract 10% of their 40-week share cost. This means that a Small Share will cost $900 instead of $1,000, and a Large Share will cost $1,620 instead of $1,800. It’s a heck of a deal for you, and it’s a huge help to me!

New Potatoes, Cucumbers, Beet Greens, Cilantro, Spinach, Lettuce, Garlic, Dill, Sugarsnap Peas

THIS WEEK’S SUBSCRIBER MENU:

• New Potatoes
• Fresh Garlic
• Sugarsnap Peas
• Napa Cabbage or Spinach
• Lettuce
• Cucumbers

• Beet Greens, Salas Mustard, or Pea Shoots

• Cilantro, Dill, or Mint

Click on the links above for information and recipes about these crops.

COMING SOON: Cabbage, Carrots, Green Beans, Summer Squash

This has been the strangest summer weather we’ve had in quite a long stretch. Just enough rain and warmth to grow weeds like crazy, too wet to work ground well or plant, and too wet to cultivate and keep weeds in check. So we’re doing our best. Some things have been happy, others have not.

Most crops are running later than I’d hoped for. Mystery Boxes are delayed a week because things aren’t ready. But I’m thankful that there is just enough to feed everyone, and make a bit of cash at market to cover bills and payroll.

Thanks as always to all of you for being understanding!

THIS WEEK’S SUBSCRIBER MENU:

• Fava Beans
• Fresh Garlic
• Baby Fennel
• Kohlrabi
• Spicy Salad Mustard or
• Shungiku (Chrysanthemum Greens)

• Red Salanova Lettuce

• Green Salanova Lettuce

• Cilantro

Click on the links above for information and recipes about these crops.

COMING SOON: Napa Cabbage, Sugar Snap Peas, Beets, Carrots, Cucumbers, Green Beans

Salad Turnips, Purple Radishes, Leeks, Spring Onions, Sorrel, Pea Shoots, and Spicy Salad Mustard.

THIS WEEK’S SUBSCRIBER MENU:

• Leeks
• Radishes
• Spring Onions
• Pea Shoots
• Baby Turnips with Greens
• Sorrel or Spicy Salad Mustard

Click on the links above for information and recipes about these crops.

COMING SOON: Spinach, Baby Kale, Turnips, Green Shallots

Spring is in full-swing now, and there’s not enough time in the day to get everything done. Please accept my apologies for not answering emails promptly. To add to the usual craziness, the walk-in cooler broke, and the estimate for repair was higher than expected, so we’re having to reduce the size of the cooler area and use a new system. This means all harvesting needs to be done the day of distribution, which is just a bit stressful. Hopefully it will be up and running by  next week!

It’s hard to believe, but its already time to plant fall and winter crops. This is a Brussels Sprout seed. They’ll grow in the greenhouse for a month or so, then get planted outside in June, and they’ll be ready to harvest October through the end of CSA season.

The ground has dried out nicely, and we’re getting it worked up as quickly as we can. Fertilizing is a must, and soil-testing has shown that the soil here is deficient in many minerals. Not surprising considering how much rain washes through the soil in the winter months. I’ve become a convert of remineralizing, as well as fertilizing with the Big Three (nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium). I truly believe that mineral-rich soil grows more nutrient-dense food, which makes for healthier humans. The crops I’ve grown on these improved sections also seems to taste better.

Gypsum is a rich source of sulfur and calcium. Our soils are deficient in both, and sulfur is necessary for plants to effectively metabolize nitrogen so that they can grow and photosynthesize. The minerals in gypsum originated from ancient hydrothermic vents, and other volcanic activity. Fun Fact: The White Sands of New Mexico are made of grains of crystallized gypsum.

Our soils are deficient in Magnesium and Calcium, and that’s what Dolomite Lime is made from. Most dolomite originated as ancient seabed sediments.

I believe strongly in remineralizing our rain-leached soils with rock powders. Azomite is mined in Utah from a 35 million-year-old volcanic ash deposit, inundated by an ancient sea. It’s brimming with Potassium, Calcium, and Magnesium, but also packed full of trace minerals.

The season of dependable rain has passed, and as quick as crops are planted they need to be irrigated. Sprinklers and drip-tape are running constantly. Even with the increased water, the sudden shift in daylength and temperature with the sunny days and frosty nights has caused many crops to bolt, or start flowering. This is normal every year, and this transition week is tricky as far as diversity of product is concerned.

This is how salad turnips look when they’re plucked from the soil…

And this is how Salad Turnips look after they’ve been washed. So pretty!

Because of this, I’m considering skipping next week’s CSA. I have a lot of radishes, turnips, and garlic, and not a lot else. I’m not sure it’s worth everyone’s time to pick up three items. Besides, I could use the extra days of not harvesting for getting crops in the ground. fixing the walk-in cooler, and setting up irrigation. If I do skip one week, it will be made up at the end of the year with extra storage crops and brassicas.

Enjoy the sun, and happy May Day!

Leeks, Arugula, Kale Broccolini, Sorrel, Purple Salad Mustard, Carrots, and Italian Parsley.

THIS WEEK’S SUBSCRIBER MENU:

• Carrots
• Kale Broccolini
• Arugula
• Purple Salad Mustard
• Leeks
• Sorrel
• Parsley

Click on the links above for information and recipes about these crops.

COMING SOON: Pea Shoots, Radishes, Green Garlic, Spring Onions, Chervil, Dill, Spinach

Ahhhh, Week 1 has Begun! It’s always exciting to start up again, but it’s chaos. I’m essentially a one-person show, and organizing all the CSA names and pickup locations is an art I have not yet perfected. So, my apologies to those whose box was in the wrong location, or who missed out on something because it ran out before I could pick more. And my thanks to those who were flexible and understanding. I will always do my best to right the mistakes, so be sure and let me know if something is awry.

I planted a greenhouse full of purple radishes in early March, and they’re nearly ready!

To begin the season, I rely on overwintered crops. These are things that were planted last summer and fall. Most of them survived, but some did not. The freezing and snow of February did in the turnips and sprouting broccoli. Rabbits ate the broccoli that survived freezing. But the garlic and onions, and leeks from last fall are beautiful. Of all the crops harvested this week, only the arugula and salad mustard were planted this spring in greenhouses.

Little froglet, happily hiding in the greenhouse arugula patch.

Outside, in the field, wild plants are thriving and blooming. They’re not quite pests, as they are covering areas that were planted and harvested last fall and winter. And their blossoms are essential food for the emerging bumblebees and hungry honeybees.

Purple Deadnettle and Wild Speedwell flourish in our wet and warm springs, and they provide vital early food for emerging pollinators.

And, here are the two newest additions to the farm. Surprise calves, two girls. The only thing cuter than a new calf are TWO new calves.

The two newest additions to the farm. Born ten days apart.